The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-04-21
TO TENNESSEE AFOOT.
A PEDESTRIAN TOUR THROUGH
FH-WESTERN CAROLINA.

A PEDESTRIAN TOUR THROUGH
NORTH-WESTERN CAROLINA.
Entertaining Description of a Portion
of Our State About Which Little Has
Heretofore Been Written.
BY PROF. L. B. WURREsCHKE.
PAPER NO. I.
There are two main routes between
Salem, Forsyth county and Jefferson,
Ashe county. Of course there are
more than two routes, if we take into
account little possible variations of the
road, was to mention that, as all roads
lead to Rome, so all roads might be
made to lead to Jefferson. The most
commonly chosen Of these two routes
is going from Salem by the Shallow
ford road, crossing the Yadkin river
there at the Shallow Ford, or at Mad
ing's Ferry, then going due west,
leaving Yadkinville in sight to the
north and thereon to Wilkesboro
Here the Yadkin has to be crossed
either by the ford or by the iron
bridge, and the journey now goes on
to Northwest up the Reddie's river,
uutil you ascend the Blue Ridge by the
Reddie's River Gap. Then you are
already in Ashe county, and the
countyseat, Jefferson, is easily reach
ed in due time after crossing the New
River by a large wooden bridge.
The other route goes entirely to the
North of the Yadkin river through
Surry and Allegheny counties.
Though to make this route really as
short as the other you might cross the
Yadkin twice in short succession, cut
ting off the sharp East Bend. The
reason why this route through Surry
and Allegheny is not more commonly
taken is, that here one has to cross a
good many large and rapid rivers !;
the roads are also more rugged and
mountainous than on the route lead
ing tamely through Yadkin county.
All these reasons, however, were to US
who intended to take the journey on
foot, only SO many inducements in fa
vor of this northern route-especially,
since we had in the previous year
already tramped over the other route.
:. The weather was as unpromising as
possible, when on Monday, July 9th,
myself and my younger son started
on our long planned tramp into Ten
nessee. There had been daily rains
for weeks and months together all
over the country. The weather-wise
New York Herald predicted that the
same kind of unprecedentedly wet
weather would continue at least into
the middle of July. The roads were
in many parts bottomless, the sky was
full of spongy clouds, the atmosphere
warm, and, oh, so damp you could
.. feel the coming rain. 1t is, however
such common experience of ours
that every journey which ends well
is beset with difficulties in the begin
ming besides the belief that Fortune
assists the brave, animates us-so We
press cheerfully on towards our frs
point, which is Bethania. We trave
the So called 'snew road" and enjoy
the pleasant little fiction kept VI
by elaborate signboards giving frac
tions of miles with wonderful exact
ness-that by this new road B. is onl,
eight miles distant, whilst by the ole
one it used to be nine. The wrong state
ments on the mileposts, if there ar
any wrong statements, are no doub
not in the fractions, but in the entir
numbers.
When we came to the nice
strong and clean wood bridge whicl
crosses the east fork of Muddy. Greek
. not far this side of Bethania, we max
J halt, and with coat and waistcoat of
. lounge awhile about those fresh-sawl
:, rails and crossbeams of the long bridge
breathing country air and watchin
i the lazy creek IS it creeps along un
der very world of foliage. Bethani
! is reached about love are expected
q the last place on our proposed journe
! where we shall be expected-an
q while we enjoy the comforting cel
! tainty that a good dinner is gettln
p ready, at which we shall take part, W
: pay visit to the small river west {
4 the town. A nice clean rock in tn
water forms the center OF our opera
4 tions here, certainly very pleasan
spot, and the large sunperch that
4 saw my son pulling out Of the waite
! looked against the sunlight truly lik
,s transparent gold.
!. A new and interesting thing, a
5. though l had heard Of it before,
,e here observed for the flsst time, mann
II ly, that even fish can get drowne'
r AS long as they swim against tt
4 stream, or even swim down stream, i
sr short, as long as the water passes the
v from the front and they can close an
e. open their gills as they like, so Ion
h they can live under water, but if tt
i gills are kept open like in fish p'
ID upon string and then the water com
ID in, the fish will be drowned. Perha]
at even Holsters can eet drowned ar